NYC Calls on Citizens to Crack Down on Idling Vehicles
NYC Calls on Citizens to Crack Down on Idling Vehicles
A new bill would allow citizens to film idle vehicles and collect a portion of the fine.
Some City Council members are looking to make New York City's air a little cleaner.
They are proposing a bill Wednesday that would help reduce emissions from idling cars.
Studies indicate emissions from idling cars have been linked to serious public health issues like asthma and cancer.
Currently it is illegal for vehicles to idle for more than a minute in school zones and three minutes everywhere else in the city.
The new bill would allow people to film illegally idling vehicles and collect up to half the fine.
Chair of the Committee on Environmental Protection Donovan Richards said citizen enforcement is the key to promoting public health.
"All New Yorkers deserve the luxury of good air quality," Richards said.
Richards said citizens who want to participate must take a class offered by the Department of Environmental Protection.
He said specifics on fines will be available as the bill moves forward.
